Voodoo Blue 82 Complete Refresh

[gpassida]

Continuing to troubleshoot the YJ wiper linkage issue.

New data:
- I bought a YJ wiper motor gasket and it fit the CJ motor but has a gap where there is no gasket material. I added some weather stripping in that area. It seals good now.

- I sprayed water on the windshield. The wipers definitely move smoother but the clunk is still there.

- I disengaged the short side linkage going to the motor. That left the two wiper pivots attached to the long side linkage.

- Manually moving the wiper arms - they move freely through their entire range. Adding water on the windshield makes them very slick.

- I loosened the wiper motor mounting bolts and ran the motor. The video below shows it in operation that way.

- With the motor bolts loose, you can see the motor moves side to side with the linkage direction.

- New video

I believe this tells me the motor arm or short linkage is too short and at the horizontal ends of the motor cycle, it needs more length.

Do you agree?

I spoke with Matt at Riptech and he has a slightly longer YJ motor arm. Not sure it is long enough for me though. He is a great guy and is helping me even though I have not purchased anything from him. He's going to let me know after looking at the new video.

Remember, I have the CJ motor swapped with a YJ motor arm. (that has the YJ ball mount setup)

One option that is to cut the ends off the YJ short linkage and put a threaded rod between the ends and adjust it to work properly. I think someone on the forum here did this with their CJ linkage.

 

[gpassida]

Great news. My replacement CJ wiper motor (Omix) came in and I just swapped it into the windshield.

It works great now with no CLUNK! It must have been my old 41 year old motor was just too weak. Or somehow damaged when the original CJ wiper linkage jammed a few years ago.

Here is the video with the new motor:

Just the normal wiper shifting sounds. (very much the same as my wife's YJ)

And here is the old motor with the clunk sound:

With the new motor, if I spray a mist of water, it is nearly silent.

Now, do I think the Omix replacement motor is going to last 40+ years. Not really. But for now I can move on with my project.

 

[mwqpd11]

Sometimes it’s just the dumbest things

 

[Chamba]

I kinda like the klunk. It sounds like a German marching rhythm: like Wagner owned a Jeep.

 

[bigwalton]

I missed this entire thread until today. Fantastic documentation of the build with great photos and details, just fantastic!

Also, a perfect example why it's so sad that so many people have given up on forums for Facebook. Nothing like this level of cohesive detail. Just random posts spread all over time with nothing but the poster's identity to tie them together,

 

[Kim Dawson]

I missed this entire thread until today. Fantastic documentation of the build with great photos and details, just fantastic!

Also, a perfect example why it's so sad that so many people have given up on forums for Facebook. Nothing like this level of cohesive detail. Just random posts spread all over time with nothing but the poster's identity to tie them together,

Not only is the order ramdom, if you see something for sale and you are the first one to respond wanting it, hours later it gets sold to someone else. After three times, I learned it was useless to bother. On here there is more integrity. Facebook bad, CJ-8.com good.

 

[gpassida]

I missed this entire thread until today. Fantastic documentation of the build with great photos and details, just fantastic!

Also, a perfect example why it's so sad that so many people have given up on forums for Facebook. Nothing like this level of cohesive detail. Just random posts spread all over time with nothing but the poster's identity to tie them together,

Thanks for the compliments!

And I totally agree about the forums being much more helpful. And this one is in a league of its own. I've never done anything close to this build and if it weren't for the amazing guys on this forum, I don't think I would have tackled it. Thanks to everyone that is here and to you and the others that keep it running!

 

[bigwalton]

Thanks for the compliments!

And I totally agree about the forums being much more helpful. And this one is in a league of its own. I've never done anything close to this build and if it weren't for the amazing guys on this forum, I don't think I would have tackled it. Thanks to everyone that is here and to you and the others that keep it running!

If it weren't for forums, I wouldn't have EVER tried to go up to Alaska and attempt to bring my postal home. And the list of things I wouldn't have tried after that is very long.

 

[2tall]

Excellent build thread man! Appreciate the attention to detail, quite a few things I'd like to add to my build.

Cool seeing the Voodoo Blue on a Jeep it turned out amazing. I've got a buddy that painted his CJ-5 with Toyota Cement gray with black accents and it looks really good on it.

 

[gpassida]

Finally got the Stronghold shift boots installed. He custom made it to my measurements to fit the NV-4500 and Atlas II twin sticks. It doesn't show in the pics very well but I had him do blue stitching. It looks better in real life. Also added a rubber shift boot for the NV-4500 under the simulated leather. It's nice not having all that air come through when driving it!

 

[gpassida]

And I was able to get the NOS Kayline full length soft top installed that I bought 18 months ago. I can't run a Bestop because of my rear roll cage hoop. It's too far back. And with how tight this is, it is pretty quiet for a soft top.

The rear corners were tight so I had to heat it up. Parked in the sun (70 degree day) and put my Mr. Heater Portable Buddy propane heater in there. Got nice and warm!

With the extra height of the bows, I BARELY make it in the garage. I have like 1/16" of clearance. This is the same top I ran for years and scraped up on the trail. My new springs should settle another inch or so and I'll have more clearance. But probably not enough to run 37's.

















Now it's time to start something I have been dreading....a rebuild of the full steel doors. They are painted and I have all new seals and most other parts. But I don't remember the order I took it all out. I have a link to someone's rebuild thread and that will surely help. I also have YJ half doors painted. Those will be easier for sure. (no windows)

 

[Belizeit]

I think we’re going to have to give you a 10 out of 10 for this build. Also maybe 40s and a bigger garage door.

 

[FLCJ8]

And I was able to get the NOS Kayline full length soft top installed that I bought 18 months ago. I can't run a Bestop because of my rear roll cage hoop. It's too far back. And with how tight this is, it is pretty quiet for a soft top.

The rear corners were tight so I had to heat it up. Parked in the sun (70 degree day) and put my Mr. Heater Portable Buddy propane heater in there. Got nice and warm!

With the extra height of the bows, I BARELY make it in the garage. I have like 1/16" of clearance. This is the same top I ran for years and scraped up on the trail. My new springs should settle another inch or so and I'll have more clearance. But probably not enough to run 37's.

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Now it's time to start something I have been dreading....a rebuild of the full steel doors. They are painted and I have all new seals and most other parts. But I don't remember the order I took it all out. I have a link to someone's rebuild thread and that will surely help. I also have YJ half doors painted. Those will be easier for sure. (no windows)

That came together really well!
If you're going to keep it inside to avoid the CA sun I really think you should consider something like this:

Speedflate 4x System Multi Tire Inflation & Deflation System — Speedflate Off Road Multiple Tire Inflation And Deflation Systems

The Speedflate 4x System is a patent pending mult tire tire inflation and deflation system. It connects all four tires together to equalize the pressure. Then you can use the system to air down all four tires simultaneously. When you done off road you can use the Speedflate 4x System to use any air

www.speedflate.com

May even allow you to move up a couple tire sizes.

 

[FLCJ8]

And I was able to get the NOS Kayline full length soft top installed that I bought 18 months ago. I can't run a Bestop because of my rear roll cage hoop. It's too far back. And with how tight this is, it is pretty quiet for a soft top.

The rear corners were tight so I had to heat it up. Parked in the sun (70 degree day) and put my Mr. Heater Portable Buddy propane heater in there. Got nice and warm!

With the extra height of the bows, I BARELY make it in the garage. I have like 1/16" of clearance. This is the same top I ran for years and scraped up on the trail. My new springs should settle another inch or so and I'll have more clearance. But probably not enough to run 37's.

View attachment 108143

View attachment 108144

View attachment 108145

View attachment 108146

View attachment 108147

View attachment 108148

View attachment 108149

View attachment 108150

Now it's time to start something I have been dreading....a rebuild of the full steel doors. They are painted and I have all new seals and most other parts. But I don't remember the order I took it all out. I have a link to someone's rebuild thread and that will surely help. I also have YJ half doors painted. Those will be easier for sure. (no windows)

Not sure if this is the one you have, (starts at #997)

"Gaucho" CJ stepside pickup build

Back in the 70's, a Jeep dealership in Southern California made a limited number of custom Jeep stepside pickups. These were based on a CJ-7, rebuilt on a longer CJ-6 frame, and using a fiberglass stepside bed and fenders made by a company called California Stepside. The half-cab hardtop was...

www.jeepforum.com

The final sentence to his post:
"It should take less than 30 minutes to reassemble a completely disassembled door."

 

[gpassida]

I think we’re going to have to give you a 10 out of 10 for this build. Also maybe 40s and a bigger garage door.

It's really a "re-build"... The bulk of the build happened in the late 90's. It just needed to get some cosmetic surgery.

 

[gpassida]

That came together really well!
If you're going to keep it inside to avoid the CA sun I really think you should consider something like this:

Speedflate 4x System Multi Tire Inflation & Deflation System — Speedflate Off Road Multiple Tire Inflation And Deflation Systems

The Speedflate 4x System is a patent pending mult tire tire inflation and deflation system. It connects all four tires together to equalize the pressure. Then you can use the system to air down all four tires simultaneously. When you done off road you can use the Speedflate 4x System to use any air

www.speedflate.com

May even allow you to move up a couple tire sizes.

I am thinking about some Staun deflators and a Moreflate 4 tire kit like those you posted. I plan on doing a lot of Overlanding and Rocklanding with this rig. That will entail a lot of airing down and airing up. My thought was just put the Staun's on and drive off while they deflate. Then the 4 tire kit to reinflate.

I will be doing a lot of highway driving to get to the trails. So the 35's and maybe 37's would be the max for me. My "Phase 2" is going to be a full length hard top, air conditioning, cruise control and a custom 10 gallon extra fuel tank in the void under the bed. It will mostly be my wife and I so to keep the AC working best, I thought a bout a "Wind Jammer" type of divider to section off the front seats from the rear area. Keep the AC up front where we need it. Heat too. They upholstery shop that did my full length bikini top can whip one up easily when I get to that point.

Phase 2 will not be happening until 2024 at best. I need to get this done and get it out on the trails!

 

[gpassida]

Not sure if this is the one you have, (starts at #997)

"Gaucho" CJ stepside pickup build

Back in the 70's, a Jeep dealership in Southern California made a limited number of custom Jeep stepside pickups. These were based on a CJ-7, rebuilt on a longer CJ-6 frame, and using a fiberglass stepside bed and fenders made by a company called California Stepside. The half-cab hardtop was...

www.jeepforum.com

The final sentence to his post:
"It should take less than 30 minutes to reassemble a completely disassembled door."

Yeah. I have that one. I printed it to PDF in case the forum went down. That will definitely help but I anticipate the first one taking a lot longer than 30 minutes. The second one will be much faster. You know how that goes...

 

[FLCJ8]

Yeah. I have that one. I printed it to PDF in case the forum went down. That will definitely help but I anticipate the first one taking a lot longer than 30 minutes. The second one will be much faster. You know how that goes...

Yep, I figured people would get a kick out of the 30 minute timeline.
Not sure if Jeff is like Musk in his time expectations.

 

[gpassida]

I wanted to do a quick mileage check. Took a 100.8 mile drive around Whiskeytown Lake, around town and on the highway. The route had some mild climbing on the way to Whiskeytown Lake, some windy roads around the lake, some mild dirt road side travels and 15 miles on Interstate 5 at 70-75 mph.

Netted 13.88 mpg - hand calculated. My Autometer mechanical speedometer is nearly spot on. It read 1.3 miles more than the Gaia GPS route. With my 23 gallon TrailQuest tank, that gives me decent range. About 300 miles.

I was trying to drive normal but the V8 with the 5-speed is just hard to lay off when you are accelerating. The sound from the Magnaflow muffler is perfect. No droning but great sound when you get into it.

I'm happy with that. Not so much with my gas gauge... I tried to dial that in when I put the new sending unit in but it overstates the fuel level. I will have to drop the tank and play with it. I do want a decently accurate gauge for the long trips I will be doing.

FYI: You can see the barren hills in these pictures. The Carr fire burned 230,000 acres all around Whiskeytown lake in 2018. We lost over 1,600 structures - over 1,000 were homes. It burned into the West side of Redding and they got it out about 1/4 mile from my house. It started at the Northwest end where my purple route ended. It started by a travel trailer that had a bearing failure and hot sparks flew into the dry grass on the shoulder of the road. Before the fire you could traverse the entire lake with the South half all on fun dirt roads. You can see where I stopped where it is closed. Too many downed trees remain.

 

[Chamba]

Good God. You're 8 is going to be absolutely stunning with hard doors and half doors. I really think it's one of the best looking rigs I've seen. Well done.